The present invention relates to a pressurizing apparatus and a pressurizing method for pressurizing bonding sheets including anisotropic conductive film tape (ACF tape), film-like components including flexible printed circuit boards (FPC boards), electronic components, optical components, and the like against a first component, such as a plasma display panel board (PDP board) or a liquid crystal display board (LCD board). The pressurizing apparatus comprises a bonding tape applying apparatus, such as an anisotropic conductive film applying apparatus (ACF applying apparatus), and a final-press bonding apparatus.
A component mounting apparatus for mounting film-like components, such as FPC boards, onto a plate-like component, such as a PDP board or an LCD board, comprises an ACF applying apparatus, a pre-press bonding apparatus and a final-press bonding apparatus. In the ACF applying apparatus, an anisotropic conductive film layer (ACF layer) of an ACF tape is applied to a plate-like component. In the pre-press bonding apparatus, after a film-like component is positioned with respect to the plate-like component, the film-like component is pressurized by a predetermined pressurizing force while being heated. As a result, the film-like component is pre-press bonded to the plate-like component by the ACF layer. In the final-press bonding apparatus, the film-like component is pressurized by a pressurizing force larger than that of the pre-press bonding apparatus while being heated. As a result, the film-like component is fixed to the plate-like component by the ACF layer.
As shown in FIG. 35, in the ACF applying apparatus, an ACF tape 5 is supplied to a plate-like component 3 mounted on a stage 1. Since a cover layer (not shown) of the ACF tape 5 has been stripped beforehand, ACF layer 5b of the ACF tape 5 is exposed and faces the plate-like component 3. In addition, on the left side (as shown in the figure) of the ACF tape 5, only the ACF layer 5b is cut and a slit 6 is formed so that base layer 5a of the ACF tape 5 remains uncut. This slit 6 corresponds to a left fringe 7a (as shown in the figure) of a tool 7. The tool 7 is provided with a cover layer 8 made of an elastic material, such as silicone, at a portion making contact with the base layer 5a of the ACF tape 5. In addition, the tool 7 is provided with a heater (not shown) for heating. The ACF layer 5b is pressurized against the plate-like component 3 by the tool 7 while being heated, whereby the ACF layer 5b is applied to the plate-like component 3. After the tool 7 is moved upward and withdrawn from the stage 1, the base layer 5a is stripped from the plate-like component 3 by a stripping mechanism (not shown), and only the ACF layer 5b is left on the plate-like component 3.
The above-mentioned final-press bonding apparatus comprises a stage on which a plate-like component with a film-like component having already been pre-press bonded by the pre-press bonding apparatus, and a tool for pressurizing the film-like component against the plate-like component. Just like the tool of the ACF applying apparatus, the tool of the final-press bonding apparatus is equipped with a cover layer, made of an elastic material, for making distribution of a pressurizing force uniform, and a heater for heating. The tool is used to pressurize the film-like component against the plate-like component.
Problems caused when attaining appropriate application of the ACF layer 5b to the plate-like component 3 by using the ACF applying apparatus are divided mainly and broadly into the following two problems.
A first problem relates to the cover layer 8 of the tool 7. In the ACF applying apparatus, while work for applying the ACF layer 5b is repeated, the cover layer 8, deteriorated owing to influence of heat and pressure, is stripped from the tool 7. If this stripping of the cover layer 8 occurs, distribution of a pressurizing force applied to the ACF layer 5b becomes non-uniform, whereby the ACF layer 5b cannot be applied accurately to the plate-like component 3. Since stress concentration occurs at the fringe 7a of the tool 7 during pressurizing, the cover layer 8 is apt to be stripped in particular. If the cover layer 8 is stripped at the fringe 7a, the ACF layer 5b may be torn in the vicinity of the slit 6 as shown in FIG. 36, and this torn portion 9 may protrude from the slit 6. In addition, while work for applying the ACF layer 5b by the tool 7 is repeated, dust generated from materials and the like of a binder of the ACF layer 5b and protruding from the base layer 5a adheres to the tool 7. This dust also impairs appropriate application of the ACF layer 5b. 
Tool exchange required in a case of stripping of the cover layer and adhesion of dust may cause some problems. First, when exchanging the tool, it is necessary to stop operation of the component mounting apparatus and to wait until a temperature of the tool lowers to such an extent that the tool can be handled with hands of an operator. In addition, it is necessary to accurately adjust parallelism between the tool and the stage after this exchange. This adjustment is complicated and takes a long time. In a case of a large-size component mounting apparatus for PDP boards in particular, an operator must enter the component mounting apparatus and exchange the tool. This exchange work is complicated.
Just as in the case of the ACF applying apparatus, even in the case of the final-press bonding apparatus, final-press bonding of the film-like components to plate-like components is repeated, whereby stripping of the cover layer from the tool and adhesion of dust to the tool are caused, resuming in impairing accurate fixing of the film-like components with respect to the plate-like components.
A second problem relates to a temperature of the ACF layer 5b. In the conventional ACF applying apparatus, the base layer 5a is stripped immediately after the ACF layer 5b is heated and pressurized by the tool 7. Since the ACF layer 5b is softened by a temperature rise immediately after this heating, a joining force applied to the plate-like component 3 lowers. Therefore, at a time when the base layer 5a is stripped, a joining force between the ACF layer 5b and the plate-like component 3 may become lower than a joining force between the ACF layer 5b and the base layer 5a. As a result, the ACF layer 5b may be stripped partially from the plate-like component 3, or the ACF layer 5b in its entirety may be stripped completely from the plate-like component 3.
Since the slit 6 corresponds to the fringe 7a of the tool 7, a pressurizing force applied by the tool 7 in the vicinity of the slit 6 becomes non-uniform, whereby sufficient joining strength may not be obtained between the ACF layer 5b and the plate-like component 3. Hence, at this portion of the slit 6, the ACF layer 5b is apt to be stripped from the plate-like component 3, or the ACF layer 5b is apt to be torn.
In addition, since an end of the ACF tape 5 is held during pressurizing and heating performed by the tool 7, relatively high tension is applied to the ACF tape 5. Hence, if a temperature of a portion in the vicinity of the slit 6 rises excessively, the ACF tape 5 becomes longer, whereby a position of the slit 6 changes. Owing to this change in the position of the slit 6, a position of a front end of the ACF layer 5b changes at a time of a next application thereof. Hence, the ACF layer 5b cannot be applied to a predetermined accurate position with respect to the plate-like component 3.
Accordingly, the present invention is intended to solve the problems encountered in the conventional ACF applying apparatus and the conventional final-press bonding apparatus described above. More specifically, one object of the present invention is to perform highly accurate pressurizing while significantly reducing a frequency of tool exchange in a pressurizing apparatus for pressurizing one component against another component by using a tool, such as an ACF applying apparatus and a final-press bonding apparatus of a component mounting apparatus. In addition, another object of the present invention is to securely apply a bonding layer (ACF layer) of a bonding sheet (ACF tape) to an object without being stripped.